Big Women On Airplanes!

[FlabbieAllie1978]

Roll Up people and help me with this! A good quality wine has gone to my head and given me the courage to ask out on here….
My wonderful daughter has been in a relationship for the past few years! But her partner lives away, a very long way away!! Never bothered me till now because they have travelled around without mummy!
Things are now at a point where my daughter wants me meet her partners family, also to get engaged, so they want ole me in person, over there! Now here’s the thang! I’m hugely overweight! The thought of flying fills me with dread! Sooooo much to take in! Squishing my flab into a plane seat, the obvious stares and panic from the other passengers as I waddle up the isle, getting to and using the bathroom which I will use a lot en route because stress overworks my bladder! It all freaks me out! I know I can buy two seats, use seatbelt extenders around my big tummy! Look, I’ve even watched online videos of other fat women, looks like an awful experience. I don’t want to be like poor Kate from the This Is Us flight scene on Netflix!
Having the engagement over here is not really possible because where they want to be is very special to them!!
Come on! Encouragement please!

We have a family member that is overweight. They fly business or premium economy.

What a dilemma for you OP. I'm with your daughter in urging you to go business class. It might cost a fortune but would be so worth it for the extra comfort and better chance of relaxation and therefore less bladder irritation.
Really sorry to say this, but I have heard of passengers being injured on a long flight sitting next to a very large person who cannot help taking up part of their neighbour's already narrow seating space, so that there's too much pressure on their ribs and too little ability to move about and avoid stiffening up. I don't think it is a myth or a fat-shaming story.
Asking to be seated next to a small child would help if it can be arranged, because neither of you will be squashed.
Best of luck.

American Airlines solves this dilemma.

https://nypost.com/2009/12/04/should-this-man-be-able-to-fly-on-a-plane/

I’m well and truly British, maybe just picking up some of the style from daughter!

This is what I was going to say. In your shoes, I’d make an appointment with your gp a couple of months beforehand (so now) and ask if they’d recommend you being on blood thinners for the month before and after. It would be a big risk flying long haul without them. You cannot stay sitting down throughout the flight; you’d be asking for trouble.

The other thing I would say is that you might find yourself having to do some diy on incontinence pads depending on your size. I don’t think they cover the full range of sizes.

Well, I am here to recommend Mounjaro, and it really pisses me off that people are mocking that Mounjaro is not the miracle drug that everyone seems to be promoting it as. There can be some serious long term consequences of taking it and even short term side effects can be horrendous. My friend had to have it as part of her diabetes medication. She spent the week after her injection either suffering with ‘eggy burps’ or with her head down the loo. That’s not a rare reaction.

Where are you flying from/ to? Most airlines have a ‘passenger of size’ and ‘neighbour free’ policy. Often the second seat is at a reduced rate. Some airlines especially the American ones will provide it free

@oakleaffy

It's awful and it's a safety risk. There's no way most people could move a 28 stone person in an accident. Everybody saying you will be fine and just fly have obviously not experienced sitting a beside a very large person. Somebody mentioned that they didn't need a belt extension at a size 24, come in now, total lies.

At 29 stone you could easily lose 2-3 stone by then on Wegovy. Honestly, I'm all for body positivity but that huge amount of weight is not healthy and given the weight loss injections exist surely you could give it a go?

I'm size 12 and feel I have to draw my shoulders in in economy on BA, the seats are terribly narrow. If you have the money go business class as there is loads of room and you will be much more comfortable

You probably could. Big losses in the first few weeks/months are common when you start at a higher weight. I don't think you should try to but it is possible. You shouldn't try because those kinds of goals can lead to unhealthy, unsustainable crash diets.

I would start looking at small, sustainable changes to lose weight long-term, only because I know from experience how depressing it is when your weight prevents you from living your life.

If you walk on average 500 steps a day, then tomorrow walk 1000 steps. If, like I did when I was bigger, you enjoy a family-size bar of dairy milk for supper, tomorrow have a regular-sized bar instead. Once that is a habit, walk 1500 steps a day and look at where you can cut another snack or make one meal healthier etc. (I'm basing my suggestions on things I used to do, not things I think all larger people do so please do not be offended)

It might not make a difference by March but even a few lbs will help you feel better and it can be a long-term goal. If your daughter is marrying an American where will the wedding be? Could she move to the US? Small changes over a long time period will not only help you in your day-to-day life but will make the next flight less scary and more comfortable.

You certainly could. A lot of your weight will be water which will fall off you.

You’ve got nothing to lose by trying (except fat😁).

give it a go OP (try mounjaro).

When my daughter got serious with her partner, often she would talk of me flying! I just laughed it off and carried on in my comfort zone. But now it’s for real so I keep fretting and stressing which doesn’t help at all. Comfort eating to numb the situation. She will go to live in the states when married. They already have a duplex I think the word is, ready to buy after the wedding and paperwork has been sorted

Airplane instead of aeroplane, butt instead of bum, describing your weight in pounds instead of stones or kilos, saying bathroom instead of loo.

It's certainly rubbing off on you.

Yep same here 😬😬😬

Ha ha ha, you’re right looking at it. I never thought I’d get so much interest in this thread. Trolls apart it seems.

Use incontinence pads
Lose weight
Go by ship
Ring the airline
Do a trial trip

be positive! That’s another point to remember xxx

my sister is generously sized and has similar concerns, we’ve always had good flights despite them xxx

🤔

At 29 stone you could easily lose 2-3 stone by then on Wegovy.

I guess the bigger you are, the more you lose, but there's no guarantee. It took me three months for it to really start to work and even then I've never lost more than 1lb a week. Even if the OP did lose 3 stone by then, she'd still be 26 stone and still too fat for an aeroplane seat.

I'm not saying it's not a good idea to try the Wegovy. It is. But it's not going to make enough difference by March.

It’s just a lot for me to take in. In my comfort zone and all is good. But as soon as my daughter starts pressing me about the travelling I just stress out and we end up in a row!

Lots of love xxx

Nitty nite xx don’t get blown away, they say a storm is coming!

This is disgusting. Unless anyone has incontinence issues and require incontinence underwear I can’t understand why anyone would wear “pee pants” on a plane or a coach. Good grief there’s someone on here who uses them for concerts 🤢 Choose a seat near a toilet if you need to go more frequently for goodness sake. Grim and laziness come to mind.

Choose a seat near a toilet if you need to go more frequently for goodness sake. Grim and laziness come to mind.

Grown women content to wet themselves and sit in it for hours rather than walk a few feet to a loo.

Billy Connolly would be proud of you.

Billy Connolly - Incontinence Pants

Not sure if it’s already been mentioned but I would look into going first class or business class.

It won’t be cheap but it will be much more roomy and you won’t be worrying as much.

I wouldn’t stress about losing lots of weight before the trip because it’s not feasible but I would spend the next few weeks trying really hard to lose as much weight as you can (don’t starve yourself).

Because your weight is obviously something you’re self conscious of and it’s holding you back.
Losing a few pounds will give you a lot more confidence.
Then I would buy a couple of nice outfits and paint your nails etc just small things to give yourself even more confidence.

I got the impression people were recommending incontinence pads as a sort of psychological safeguard? Not with the plan to intentionally use them, but to stop the worry of being caught out.

If you go to SeatGuru you can search seating plans and seat sizes for all flights, I'd choose a front row seat or 2 which are near the toilet and entry point. I wouldn't use pads, go to the loo before departure, an overnight flight might feel more comfortable. The cruise to new York takes longer but then you'd be more confident.